This invention relates to the fields of signs and microprocessors and in particular to a combination thereof.
Messages are called for in many situations where speech cannot be used or can be used only with difficulty. A few examples are as follows: areas where noise levels are very high; areas where silence is preferred or in zero noise areas, such as in the military, during test taking or during church services; construction areas such as high buildings or in sewers where the voice cannot be heard clearly; boat to boat communications; and between swimmers or between a swimmer and a boat in underwater activity.
Computers have not been associated with portable, or handheld, sign technology partly because monitor viewing screens are dominated by the fluorescent screen associated with the cathode ray tube (CRT) technology, which has until recently been bulky. Miniaturized microprocessor technology has recently allowed reduction of CRT monitors with displays that are as crisp and readable as laser printing on paper.
Computer display technology is presently used with displays that are based upon the well-known liquid crystal display (LCD), such as are used for messages displayed on the screens of bank cash vending machines. LCDs could be used in operative association with miniaturized microprocessor technology.
The same miniaturized technology has reduced motherboard processors so that an entire package including display and microprocessor is reduced to fit into a shirt pocket, that is to say, to the rectangular dimensions of a credit card. Such advances in miniaturized microprocessor technology can be applied as well to keyboard processors.
My application Ser. No. 09/027,632, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607, provides a portable programmable sign comprising a unitary T-shaped housing having opposed front and rear sides and including an upper sign portion and a lower sign portion mounted midway transverse to the sign portion. A keyboard system with a miniaturized processor including keys marked with indicia for letters of the alphabet and other selected indicia are mounted on the hand-grip portion. Control keys are also mounted on the keyboard. The sign includes a miniaturized computer microprocessor for processing input data received from the keyboard. A light-emitting message display system presents the input data to a distant observer by way of a light-emitting display, preferably an LED display mounted on the front side of the sign portion. An electrical circuit in the housing joins the keyboard system, the miniaturized computer microprocessor, and the LED message display, which can be internally or externally powered. Another embodiment of the invention set forth in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 provides a monitor display system mounted on the rear side of the sign portion that receives input data from the computer microprocessor prior to transmission of the input data so that a user can edit or verify the accuracy of the input data prior to transmission of the data to the LED message display.
My continuation-in-part patent application Ser. No. 358,493 includes a handheld programmable sign comprising a hand-grip portion and a sign portion having opposed front and rear sides and including an upper sign portion and a lower handheld portion rotatably mounted to the sign portion midway transverse to the sign portion in the in-use mode. The hand-grip portion can be rotated between the in-use mode and a locked storage mode when the hand-grip portion is rotatable into overlapping relationship with the sign portion. A keyboard system with a miniaturized keyboard processor including keys marked with indicia for letters of the alphabet, numerals, and other selected indicia is mounted on the hand grip portion for operator input. The sign includes a miniaturized computer microprocessor for processing input data received from the keyboard. A light-emitting message display, preferably an LED display, is mounted on the front side of the sign portion for reading by an observer. An electrical circuit in both the sign housing and the hand-grip housing joins the keyboard system, computer microprocessor, the light-emitting message display and an optional monitor display system mounted on the rear side of the sign portion are joined by an electrical circuit in the housing and which can be internally or externally powered. A rotatable locking mechanism about which the sign portion and the handheld portion includes inner and outer cylinders that can be locked together by a locking pin controlled by the operator.
The handheld programmable sign described in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 has a T-shaped configuration. Such a configuration is efficient during operation, but when the sign is not in use, it is awkward to store it, for example, in a holding case or even placing in a drawer, which my application Ser. No. 027,632 has addressed.
The main screens of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 and of my application Ser. No. 027,632 can be read by observers at varying distances, but it can be said that the usability of my handheld screen will increase the greater the distance at which the main display can be read.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a handheld sign that will increase the advantages of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 and my application Ser. No. 358,493 by increasing the distances at which the screen can be read.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a handheld sign that will increase the advantages of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 and my application Ser. No. 358,493 by increasing the distance at which the screen can be read by increasing the size of the screen while at the same time retaining the portability of the screen when not in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a handheld sign that will increase the advantages of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 and my application Ser. No. 358,493 by increasing the distance at which the screen can be read by increasing the size of the screen by using an extra wide screen that is foldable to a smaller size screen when not in use so that the basic portability of the handheld screen of my patented handheld screen and of my prior application for a rotatable handheld sign is retained as much as possible.
Yet another object is to provide an easily storable handheld programmable sign that is both small and light enough to be easily handheld and that encloses a complete computer including a keyboard.
In accordance with these and other objects that will become apparent in the course of this disclosure, there is provided in further accordance with my first application Ser. No. 027,632, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,607 and my CIP patent application Ser. No. 358,493, a handheld programmable sign comprising a hand-grip portion and a sign portion having opposed front and rear sides with the hand-grip portion mounted transverse to the sign portion. Mounted within the hand-held portion are a miniaturized microprocessor for processing data and a keyboard mounted in said hand-grip portion for receiving input data and transmitting the input data to the microprocessor means, the keyboard including a keyboard miniaturized microprocessor. At least two display screen units mounted on the front side of the sign portion for displaying the input data to observers are foldable relative to one another between an operative open planar mode and an inoperative closed mode. In the open mode the display screen units present input data electrically transmitted thereto to an observer. In the inoperative closed mode the first and second display screen units are in a fully aligned parallel folded relationship and no data is transferred to an observer. A computer microprocessor/memory unit and a serial port wired thereto are optionally positioned in the hand-held portion. A three-display screen unit having a center screen unit with two display screen units rotatably attached to the center display screen unit is optional.
Other embodiments or modifications may be suggested to those having the benefit of the teachings therein, and such other embodiments or modifications are intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope and spirit of the subjoined claims.